Boss GT-3

The unit is very easy to use... if you've owned it more that 90 days. I went through the manual several times to learn how to use every feature but found there's more than meets the eye. Using the control assigns can be tricky and sometimes unable to do exactly what you want. For example: assigning different parameters of one effect to different positions of the expression pedal... ARRRRRRGHH! But, how often do you want to create swelling reverb while diminishing another effect? I've owned the GT-3 for 6 months and can create a patch in a matter of minutes but to get a great sound you'll need other great equipment and a burning desire to get the right sound.

I'm currently using a Fender Telecaster through the GT-3 through a Marshall 8008 to 2 12" Custom Design speakers in a Crate GX-120/212. The Crate sounds excellent but I really like Marshall equipment. I'm definitely planning on purchasing tube amplification in the future possibly using the Marshall 8008 as a pre amp. I love the sound quality overall. The reverb, however is somewhat lacking... Sounds good but there are better reverbs out there. Smokin distortion; love the Metal1 and Turbo. Depending on where you put it in the chain will dramatically affect the sound. Compressor... ok again there is better. I've also heard higher quality units that don't sound as good but that's more than likely due to the programmer than the unit itself. Again, if you put your time in and burn for quality sound you'll get it with the GT-3. Well pleased with all the other effects. The harmonizer is very cool.

Haven't had any problems. Would not hesitate to gig without back up. I regularly back-up the data with a program called Midi-Ox. Of course that won't help with massive failure but if the unit crashed before a gig what do ya do? PLAY!

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I can get any sound I need/want with this unit. I've been playing for nearly 20 years and have grown to like multiple effects. I've grown close to the GT-3 and would certainly replace it. Although I'm considering a Digitech 2120 to use in conjunction with the GT-3 because of it's abilities. Incredible value. Try to buy all these effects separate and then configure them. The Metal1 distortion is tops. I use it almost exclusively in patches with distortion but I don't play metal. The unit certainly enhances my creativity.

It's not that hard since you have a lot of options presets (really good presets). It takes a while before you be able to know how to program and stuff.

Great effects!! Works perfectly with my WOLFGANG and my amp Fender Deluxe (100W)... I have played with Zomm and Digitec Rp200 before, and they don't get even close...

I certanly can depend on it! I do use it often in gigs and the reactions are great...of course a big part of the credit goes to the WOLFGANG...

I have never needed them...

It's a good match for my style, I have a band that plays Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani... I have been playing for almost 12 years... I love about the way I can get close to Satriani's effects with the GT-3... I would certainly recommend, specially if you have a good guitar...

I don't know, maybe this is my second or third review on this thing. I admit it's a love/hate relationship that clearly gravitates toward the love side for me. I'm in a cover band, and I'm using the GT-3 to try and emulate certain guitar sounds. Not only is this completely accomplishable, but I have been able to re-develop my own long-lost sound that I'd developed years ago from old equipment which I can no longer find. If you simply scroll through the presets, my highly biased opinion is that you'll suck. However, if you spend 725 million sleepless nights trying to get the right damned sound, you WILL find it. It seems to be one of those things where, any sound you could possibly want is in there, but really, you need a college education to know how to find it, (and I has me a college educations!). The manual has been all but useless to me, as well as many of you. The problem with the manual is that the dork(s) who wrote it, probably have college educations! (Dahh, so what's my excuse?).Therefore, they expect you to have some amount of intuition. Either that, or they were just lazy whenst they wrote it. Anyway, for intuitability, and user-friendliness, it sucks. But wait, that's not all....

The only way to make this thing sound good is to plug it into the Marshall battery-powered amp!!! (...just kidding, sorry). Actually, I use the unit through several different amp's like Marshall, Fender, and a Peavey Classic 50 2/12. For me the sound quality can come so damned close to your favorite wanker, that I can hardly justify spending any more freaking wads of cash on Marshalls and Boogies. Buy this unit, but dump your social life, (for those of you who have one). Keep in mind that the presets were developed by college punks, and therefore are completely worthless. Awful damned close to tube on alot of stuff, to my tube-ass ear. The things I am NOT willing to accept are, 1) The unit has audio drop-outs which you could measure in milliseconds, when changing from patch to patch , and which annoy me, and 2)You CANNOT use the expression pedal to change amp simulation sounds without scrolling through every amp-sim on the way to the one you want- THAT is a MAJOR drawback in my opinion. (The same holds true for the "MOD" section). So, if you're trying to program the expression pedal to gradually switch from the clean Jazz Chorus, to the Scream of a Soldano, you CAN, except you'll be trucking through all the other amp-sim's on the way there. Otherwise, you have to create two separate patches, and then the change is abrupt rather than gradual. So, the sound quality is freaking awesome (if you can find what you're after), but again, the user-friendliness sux. What would you say, an '8' maybe?

Whelp, I mean-you look at this thing, and ask yourself if they could make a more durable unit without shipping it with its own road case!

I called the company the first 2 hrs. I had the unit. My question was, "why do I hear a faint background distortion when I use some clean sounds, as well as most acoustic simulations?" The college dork tried to help, but was inadequate. The phone bill was an additional $5.00 for the month. You decide... an 'A' for effort maybe?

I play all the modern radio rock, I guess. We do stuff from "Loser" by 3-doors-down, (yes, you can nail that acoustic sound), to AC/DC, which you can also nail. Overall, I would buy no other. I've always HATED stomp boxes in any form, but needed to get cover band sounds and solve switching problems. Short of a full rack unit, this was the best deal.(Rack units are another can of worms, as many of you already know!). If you want to buy a floor-based effects processor, I highly recommend this unit over the others like Digitech- you won't be sorry. But, you have to spend alot of time getting your sounds and getting educated about HOW to get sounds- which can be a very complex subject. If it was ever lost or stolen, I'd HAVE to buy another one, because I'm too codependent on this frigging thing now!

I got the basics in the first few minutes. Its very easy to program, but no so easy to get the right sound out of it /because of the so many possibilities, tweakings and so on. But if your sound is not in there you probably still dont know what is your sound :) /.
After spending some sleepless nights tweaking it and reading the wonderful set-up series docs at the GT-3 users group website I figured out how actually its easy to use.

My setup is Washburn N2 or Samick /its a nice guitar, I just cant remember the model/ ->GT-3-> Marshall all-tube JTM615 amp or a cheap ass solid state crappy amp /I thought that its impossible to make it sound nice but GT-3 did it/. The unit itself is not noisy at all. Of'course if u're using very high gain settings on distortions or amp models u'll get noise, but when Im crankin' all the way up my Marshall I get more noise, its normal. And I cant really get the people thinking that distortions in GT-3 suck. Personally I think that they r awesome. Just need tweaking. As simple as that. U cant get decent sound without decent guitar AND amp no matter what effect u'll get. It can do every sound I ever wanted blues, hard rock, metal, even Pantera - its in u just have to find it. The only drawback is that it hasnt fx loop like GT-5.
Yeah yeah I know that amp models r not so good as the real ones but they sound good enough. And when I want the real tube distortion I just switch to my Marshall.../be honest guys, there's no modelling technology, even POD, that will sound like tube amp. If you want tube sound - its simple - Buy a tube amp./

Solid as rock. Its BOSS period.

I've never needed it. But from what I've heard they r nice and helpful guys.

Im playing just everything - hard rock, funky rock, metal, some blues, jazz, classics - u name it. Been playing already 10 years I found GT-3 one of the most versatile and nice sounding units for the price range. Good sound, versatile, solid built, reliable, good for recording, MIDI and all that just for 350 bucks. Rock on!

I found the gt-3 easy to use, but to get past the basics took me a few hours of messing with it. In a short time though I had the sounds I was happy with right up from twhere I wanted them. There are an awful lot of patches that I will never use and I wish I could figure out an easier way to jump between "banks". Very satisfied with it so far in this category.

I use this run direct to the PA, although I love the way it sounds thru my old Vibroluxes. I have a 66 and a 62, and they sound super warm with the gt-3. I run a Carvin AE185 and a Gibson ES as well as a couple of Takamine acoustic-electrics, and I am very pleased overall with the sound quality. I am using this instead of a board full of Boss pedals that I have had for 16 or more years. It is way more versatile.

Like I said I have 16 or 17 year old Boss pedals, and they have never failed, even though I played on the mud and dust tour doing outdoor concerts for a long time. The beating they took being put on airplanes and buses, and such lead me to really trust this stuff.

I play it all...rock,messianic praise/worship,jazz/blues,etc. This rig fits the bill for me. I can dial in what I need and I am pleased with the result. The longer I use it the more I like it.I have been a player since 1964 so I have used a wide variety of gear.

its really easy

distortions suck,but i run a metal zone through the effects loop,and it uses the metal zone like one of its own distortions,and it gates it PERFECLTY,ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY

i spilled water on mine,it dried out and worked again,(dont try this)

i bought this,i tune to droppped "b",the friggin thing wont pick up a low b on the tuner,so at every single show and practice,even between songs live,i have to tune my top string by ear!!!you think if it freeking costs 300-500 dollars,it could tune anything, BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!.this might just be the most annoying thing ive ever experienced since feeding back before i bought the damn thing.but if i only used this thing to gate the metal zone,then its worth it.see,you can assign the metal zone in the effects loop to diferet user presets,so when you switch to clean,it turns the gate off for ya!wich ic sweeeeeeettttt.the ten is merely for the gate

As multi-effects go this is a little bit above average for ease of use. The manual gives a good basic overview but doesn't offer any hints on how to sculpt a sound from scratch. That's probably beyond the scope of a user manual anyway.

Editing is straightforward but kind of a pain looking into the unit through the tiny LCD screen. I'm a Mac user so I haven't hooked it up to a MIDI editor as there only seems to be a PC editor out there.

I'm pretty keen on different amp and guitar sounds but I've sworn to stop short of the "audiophile" detour. I believe that a mass market amp can sound good even if it has a PCB inside. That said I do expect a certain quality level in my gear. I find the GT-3 sounds really good, with exception of the medium gain preamp sims. The low gain Twin and JC-120 sims sound quite good but they're more just an EQ curve rather than a clipping sim. The crunch and blues sims are really nasty - I'm not sure I'd ever use them, although I generally like that just breaking up sound in a real amp. The high gain sims, like the 5150, are actually not too bad. That may be because I'm not a big fan of that sound anyway - if I were more familiar with that end of the spectrum I might be more critical.

Fortunately I didn't buy the GT-3 for it's preamps as I already have a Boogie, couple of Fenders and a Marshall in the flesh, so to speak. What I did want was the effects and especially to have them programmable. None of the effects on their own are especially stellar, but when you put them in series and tweak them (especially with the foot volume pedal assigned to different parametres) you can build some really credible performance voices. They're very quiet and each offers the basics you'd expect from an equivalent stompbox. I can't stress enough the value of the synergy when you combine effects. I can get a very credible Holdsworth tone with compressor, turbo overdrive, eq and noise suppression. If you were to go out and buy the individual Boss pedals to get that sound you'd pay as much as the GT-3 is worth.

My favourite setup right now is plugging the GT-3 into the poweramp in on my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. That amp has enough low end that it really fattens up the GT-3s output. I've tried it into the guitar input on several different amps but it really sounds best into a combo poweramp.

For direct-to-PA or recording the preamp sims and speaker sims are pretty flat sounding. They would suffice for secondary rhythm parts, back in the mix, but I can't imagine using them for lead or "hooky" parts.

One of the fun things about the GT-3 is that it gives you a chance to try out some more varied amps and effects to see if you want to go there. For example, I've never played a Class A amp and was always curious about the Vox mystique. Having played the sim I know that I'd like to get a Vox amp, even though the sim is pretty lame it gets you into the neighbourhood to see if you like it.

So far so good. Over the years I've owned a fair amount of Roland and Boss gear and had no problems. The physical construction of the GT-3 suggests it will hold up equally well.

I just love guitar so I dabble at a lot of different guitar styles - probably closest to my heart is the jazz/fusion end of the spectrum. The GT-3 does a good job of recreating a lot of the tones in this area. I wouldn't recommend it to a roots player but they're unlikely to look at it anyway. I hear that a lot of the younger guys swear by their GT-3s so it seems that it works for alt rock and metal too. I've been playing for 23 years and have collected enough nice guitars and amps to pretty much the stylistic range: Strat, Tele, LP Special, LP Jr, Howard Roberts Fusion, Ibanez Jackson clone, Guild 6 string, Takamine 12 string, Heartfield DR5 bass and Fender Pro Junior, Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JCM600 and Boogie .50 Calibre. I bought the GT-3 because I felt like I had the basic palette covered and wanted to effects in a simple way. I really pleased with the GT-3, even though the preamps are pretty lame compared to real amps.

Use With A Washburn N4 And A Jackson Soloist Sounds Great Once I Killed The Preamp Presets Those Stink I Use This To Beef Up My Amp A Marshall 80 Watt Valvestae Just Using The EQ Chorus Delay Reverb And Compressor For That Its Great Really Thickins The Sound Seperate Patches For The N4 And The Soloist With Diffrent EQs.What Else Can I Say Its A Boss Product And That Speaks For Itself

I Dont Gig So I Wouldnt Need A Backup But If I Did I Wouldnt See The Need For Backup

Never Delt With Them

Damn Good Unit Once You Kill The Crappy Preamp Settings And Just Use The Effects

The gt-3 is slightly more complicated than my old processor (zoom 707) but took me about 2 days to master so anyone can do it i think

I play through jackson guitars and a crate blue voodoo half stack. I use a original crybaby wah on the sude because the built in wah is not adequate for me. The sound quality is outstanding , my only complaint is that the distortion has a harsh kind of hissing noise at the end of notes, but other than that it is beyond what i ever want or need.

this thing can take alot more than i can the thought of having a backup device is just absurd.

I havent dealt with boss directly

I play alternative, rock, metal style stuff and it has more than enough versatility. it is the only effects processor i have ever been happy with. I have always liked boss and i was looking at the ME-30 but dont buy it it sounds horrible , only the GT3 will do!

This is an update of my previous review, which is the veeeery first first review on this page. I've been using this thing day in and day out for almost two years. First off, the GT3 is NOT difficult to use. One thing I hadn't discovered when I first reviewed it is each of the effects has it's own set of presets. These can get you in the ballpark very quickly, and then you can tweak from there. Is this feature in the manual? I lost my manual. Don't really need it after you get the hang of this thing.

All the effects (chorus, harmonizer, delay, etc..) are great, with the only ones in question being the amp models and the distortions. I use mostly the crunch, Marshall, and Metal amp models. I find these are the best for most real world stuff. The bloom is kind of off the rose for me, though. The amp sims are sort of like xerox copy of a photo. The sounds in the GT3 are more "in" the speakers, rather than "in front" of the speakers. They also sound kind of thin (they all seem to need help from the eq section, especially in the low end). Recently I compared the GT3 amp sims to the DG Stomp, and the Stomp sounds much more present and detailed. However, the Stomp doesn't have 1/3 of the features of the GT3 which I've become addicted to. I think it's time for the GT-7, with updated amp models. And this time, how about getting a great wah sound?

Very reliable. No problems.

As I said in my first review, I'm a music director at a church, and we play everything. Loud/soft, old/new, Christian/secular. I even used the slicer once (!) on a Third Day tune and a synth sound for 80's night (Safety Dance). I need tons of versatility with my setup, and the GT3 nails almost anything I need. It's a great pedal. I just wish Boss would make their amp sims as good as Yamaha does.